Questions have been raised about the last minute cancellation of travel arrangements by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris to Cannes, France via London on Monday.
Dr. Harris was scheduled to leave Antigua for France on a British Airways flight via London to attend the Cannes International Emigration & Luxury Property Expo from 26 – 27 October at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes.
Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas said Tuesday the international media has been asking him questions about the cancellation of Dr. Harris’ travels which would have taken him to Gatwick, London on Monday morning before going on to France.
“My response to the queries was that I do not know, but I find it very strange that Dr. Harris, who is known for his love of travel to far and distant lands to speak at conferences, especially at the Citizenship by Investment Programmes, should suddenly withdraw his plans to travel,” Dr. Douglas told listeners to his “Ask the Leader” programme on Tuesday.
According to the programme obtained, both Dr. Harris and then Antigua and Barbuda’s former Minister of Tourism, Mr. Asot Michael were down to speak at the international exhibition dedicated to immigration, luxury real estate, financial consulting, and private banking in France.
Dr. Harris was down to speak on “The Platinum of Citizenship by Investment, Discussing the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme.”
“Was it that he was afraid of being met at Gatwick. That is the question that people are asking,” said Dr. Douglas who admitted he did not have the answer.
He noted however that since the start of 2017, Prime Minister Harris has “been hiding from the international community.”
Prime Minister Harris was absent from the 28th CARICOM Inter-Sessional Meeting in Guyana; the 2nd Annual Citizenship by Investment Meeting hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, the 47thAnnual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in the Turks and Caicos Islands on May 24 and 25; the 30th May PANNCAP Regional Parliamentarians Forum in Kingston, Jamaica of which he is the PANCAP Chair and the 42nd Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) held in Basseterre in June.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Harris did not attend the annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in his capacity as Minister of Finance.
As a result he also missed meetings with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the US Treasury Department, the Caribbean Partners Dialogue on Hurricanes with the Organisation of American States (OAS); the World Bank-CARICOM meeting, the Small States Forum and the CARICOM and the Virgin Group discussion.